Poor Scots 'squeezed out of university by SNP cap on places'

Scottish school leavers from poor backgrounds are being squeezed out of university by SNP government policies, according to a highly-critical expert report that concludes the most eminent institutions are becoming more middle class.

The Sutton Trust’s Access in Scotland study found children from the most disadvantaged areas are four times less likely to go to university than those from the wealthiest homes. This compared to 2.4 times less likely in England and three times less likely in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Its 103-page study, which examined in detail admissions data from north and south of the Border, found no evidence that the SNP’s abolition of tuition fees had improved application, acceptance or entry rates for the poorest children compared to other countries that charge students.

Instead it warned the move may have backfired, as the Scottish Government has been forced to cap the number of places for Scottish students so the free tuition policy is affordable.

It found that nearly all the growth in the number of Scottish youngsters from poor families entering higher education has been through sub-degree courses in colleges.

The report contrasted this with the situation in England, where more school leavers from poor families have managed to get a place after the Tory Government removed the cap on places there.

In a damning indictment of social mobility in Scotland, the report found the proportion of ancient university students from independent schools has increased significantly over the past decade and the concentration of middle class entrants in pre-92 universities is increasing.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, which is dedicated to improving social mobility through education, said Scotland “faces a shocking access gap” and said the Scottish Government’s plan to introduce a fair access commissioner should be implemented without delay.

Umbrella group Universities Scotland said the report’s comparisons with England were “not always meaningful or helpful” but admitted that the removal of the cap has made it easier to get a place south of the Border.

A spokesman said “Scotland’s strict cap on places has made it much harder for Scottish students to get into Scottish universities. This is having clear knock-ons in terms of entry requirements and access.”

Alex Salmond with a monument quoting himself that student tuition fees would not be reintroduced in ScotlandCredit:
Gordon Jack

When he was First Minister, Alex Salmond boasted that the “rocks would melt with the sun” before the free tuition policy was abandoned.

It said the ring-fencing of some places for deprived students and the expansion of sub-degree programmes in colleges may have had a “more powerful impact” than abolishing tuition fees in helping deprived youngsters.

Only eight per cent of 18-year-old Scots from the poorest areas enter university, it found, compared with 17 per cent in England, 15 per cent in Wales and 14 per cent in Northern Ireland.

The report said that undergraduate places in England are funded through income-contingent loans rather than the taxpayer, as in Scotland. This had allowed the cap on student numbers to be lifted south of the Border, leaving “scope for expansion.”

It said: “Students from less advantaged backgrounds are more likely to gain access to higher education when the system is expanding, but the Scottish Government’s policy to avoid tuition fees means that it is obliged to cap university places.

“In Scotland, demand for university places outstrips demand, with particularly negative consequences for less advantaged students.” The study cited academic research showing this was because they “are not striving to displace middle-class students” if there are more places to go round.

It cited data from university admissions service UCAS that suggested “coming from a disadvantaged area has a substantially larger negative impact in Scotland” than in England on winning a place, thanks to the increased level of competition.

However, the proportion of Scottish students at the four ancient universities who attended an independent school has increased from 19 per cent in 2004 to 26 per cent in 2014/15.

The study also found that Scotland’s pre-92 universities, those that were not formerly polytechnics or colleges, have become increasingly dominated by the middle classes. The proportion of entrants whose parents have middle-class managerial and professional backgrounds has now increased to 67 per cent.

Although some poor youngsters enter higher education through the college system, and then articulate to university, the report found this route limited access to high-status courses like medicine and law and they were more likely to end up in lower paid jobs.

It also cited research showing that the abolition of maintenance grants means Scotland is the only part of the UK where students from poor backgrounds end their degrees with higher levels of debts than their wealthiest peers.

Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, said: “The First Minister has said that she should be judged on her record on education. This report is clear. Scotland is bottom of the class on widening access to university."

Liz Smith, Scottish Tory Shadow Education Minister, said: “This damning report confirms that Scotland still has some way to go.”

The Scottish Government said the number of students from deprived areas has increased by 29 per cent since 2007 and some of the report’s recommendations are already being taken forward.

However, a spokesman claimed some of the findings are based on “misconceptions” and that the trust’s demand for more places “does not address the systemic problems that can restrict access.”